We woke up this morning in Amsterdam! Our excursion was suppose to be the bike tour but as Brian was not feeling that well and it was cold outside, we decided to forego the bike tour and go for the Windmills and Wooden Shoe Factory Tour and we were glad we did. We were on the bus for about an hour as they toured us around the outskirts of Amsterdam and we also stopped in a Cheese Factory along the way where they make Gouda cheese (pronounced as “Houda” cheese here). It was interesting to see how they made the cheese. We were soon on our way to the Windmills. We toured around the Windmills and then headed for the Shoe Factory Store.
When Brian was a baby, his father who was in the Canadian Army, helped the Allies drive the Nazi’s out of Holland. While here, he knew of Brian’s birth and sent over these little tiny green wooden shoes and he wrote on the bottom of the shoes “to my son, love daddy” and it was the only present Brian ever got from his father as he was killed shortly after. Brian cherishes these shoes and while in Holland he wanted to buy his two little granddaughters a pair of wooden shoes as well. We picked out the wooden shoes that he is going to give to Annika and Selena and a few other things in the store. The store clerk told us to just leave the things we had bought on the counter while we continued to shop. While I was still looking around, Brian told the store clerk the story of his father never meeting him and how it was his life-long dream to come to Holland to see where his father is buried in Holten. This store clerk was so touched by the story, when we went to pay, she asked us to pick out a couple of more little things which they wanted to give us as a memento of our visit to the Wooden Shoe Factory. She told us that she was so honored to hear Brian’s story and it was a moment in time she will never forget.
We came back to the ship in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day relaxing, knowing that we had to pack our bags ready to disembark in the morning and sadly say good-bye to all we have meet. The cruise was truly something we will never forget. Here are some pictures from today:
The Cheese Factory where they make Gouda Cheese
Where they make the cheese.
The Windmills
The Windmill we walked through
The narrow staircase to get up to the top of the windmill
The wooden shoe factory
The entrance of the Wooden Shoe Factory
The store clerk who was so touched by Brian’s story.
A ship that sailed by our ship this afternoon
Along the river we have seen many swans and ducks. I think they are very used to the cruising boats and come right up close, hoping to get some morsels of food!
So that ends our Riverboat Cruise on the Danube. We were very very impressed with the tour company – Scenic Tours. They were extremely well organized, the tours and excursions were great and the food phenomenal. We now disembark in the morning and head to the hotel we have for tomorrow night and where we will meet Joan who is going to show us a bit more of Amsterdam tomorrow and then take us on the train to Holten to meet Rens and Annemieke and then Wednesday will be the day that Brian has been waiting for forever – the day he sees his father’s grave.
I hope that I can write my blog sometime this week but if I do not get a chance, I will catch up our last week in Holland by next weekend.
It will be the end to a perfect holiday!
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